GTS Securities LLC Has $532,000 Stock Position in Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD)

GTS Securities LLC decreased its position in shares of Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. (NYSE:APD - Free Report) by 86.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,835 shares of the basic materials company's stock after selling 11,392 shares during the period. GTS Securities LLC's holdings in Air Products and Chemicals were worth $532,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Generali Investments Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Air Products and Chemicals during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Sierra Ocean LLC purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. WR Wealth Planners LLC grew its stake in Air Products and Chemicals by 40.3% in the fourth quarter. WR Wealth Planners LLC now owns 108 shares of the basic materials company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 31 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Newton One Investments LLC bought a new position in Air Products and Chemicals in the fourth quarter worth about $38,000. Institutional investors own 81.66% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have commented on APD. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Air Products and Chemicals from $365.00 to $320.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised Air Products and Chemicals from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $375.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, January 31st. UBS Group reduced their target price on Air Products and Chemicals from $335.00 to $324.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Morgan Stanley started coverage on Air Products and Chemicals in a research note on Thursday. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $290.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Air Products and Chemicals from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $331.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Walter L. Nelson sold 589 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $308.50, for a total transaction of $181,706.50. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 719 shares in the company, valued at approximately $221,811.50. This represents a 45.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.41% of the company's stock.

Air Products and Chemicals Stock Performance

Shares of APD stock traded up $5.82 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $278.99. The company had a trading volume of 2,872,928 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,448,278. The stock has a market cap of $62.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.20, a PEG ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 0.88. Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $243.69 and a 52-week high of $341.14. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $271.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $297.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 0.96.

Air Products and Chemicals (NYSE:APD - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 1st. The basic materials company reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.83 by ($0.14). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.94 billion. Air Products and Chemicals had a return on equity of 15.78% and a net margin of 31.88%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.85 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. will post 12.69 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Air Products and Chemicals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, August 11th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 1st will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.57%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, July 1st. Air Products and Chemicals's dividend payout ratio is currently 104.07%.

Air Products and Chemicals Profile

Air Products and Chemicals, Inc provides atmospheric gases, process and specialty gases, equipment, and related services in the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, India, and internationally. The company produces atmospheric gases, including oxygen, nitrogen, and argon; process gases, such as hydrogen, helium, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and syngas; and specialty gases for customers in various industries, including refining, chemical, manufacturing, electronics, energy production, medical, food, and metals.